Chapter 58: Pervert!
"An Yuan, listen. You and Chen Cheng are at the most important stage of your lives. Right now, studying is your top priority. If you don’t get into a good university, how are you going to provide a good life for Chen Cheng in the future? You can’t even support yourself yet, you still rely on your parents for food."
Their homeroom teacher lectured An Yuan while eyeing Chen Cheng suspiciously from a distance.
She knew Chen Cheng was probably just in a bad mood because of her period and had cried it out, but the two of them acting so flustered made her suspicious. Teenage hormones were unpredictable, and who knew what they might get up to?
Then again… they didn’t really seem like that kind of couple.
An Yuan listened to the lecture with a helpless expression. He knew the teacher meant well, but he just couldn’t take it seriously.
"Alright, go get ready for class."
An Yuan sighed in relief. He didn’t even know why he was always the one getting scolded while Chen Cheng never got into trouble.
Was it just because she looked obedient? As if she were some innocent, rule-abiding student? Please. Who was the one daring enough to wear a strap nightgown under her school uniform?
As he walked past Chen Cheng, he suddenly noticed a foot sneaking out in his path. Without even looking, he sidestepped it and shot her a glare.
"Tsk."
Busted, Chen Cheng quickly lowered her head and busied herself with pulling books and worksheets from her desk for the next class, resting her chin on one hand.
Her mind drifted back to An Yuan’s question from earlier.
Like An Yuan? As if!
She just relied on him more when she felt uneasy. It was just the hormones making her react to his presence. And sure, being around him made her feel comfortable and happy, but they had been friends for years! How could that change in just a month?
Instead of obsessing over why she had turned into a girl, she now found herself fixating on her feelings toward An Yuan.
It was definitely because she’d been acting a little too clingy lately, that’s why An Yuan misunderstood!
She had zero interest in men. Just imagining herself marrying a guy made her shudder. If anything, she’d rather stay single forever, like in her past life!
Her mind conjured an image of some random faceless man. Then suddenly, that face turned into An Yuan’s.
Her brows furrowed. The rejection she expected to feel wasn’t as strong as she thought.
But what about a 27 years old An Yuan? Balding, greasy, and out of shape? The thought made her cringe. She was only tolerating the idea now because An Yuan was good-looking. That was it. She was just shallow like that.
Her period always made her brain foggy. Before she knew it, lunchtime had arrived.
Since the cafeteria was temporarily closed, the school allowed students to order takeout or eat outside. But since their small town didn’t have popular food delivery apps, ordering takeout meant calling a restaurant directly from a flyer and having them deliver it themselves.
Chen Cheng and her two friends ordered three individual burger meals, each costing 15 yuan. It came with a burger, sides, and a drink. Since Chen Cheng was on her period, she swapped her soda for warm milk.
"Let’s go! The food should be here soon, we have to pick it up at the school gate."
Chen Shuting and Hu Wei each grabbed one of Chen Cheng’s arms, linking them together as they headed to get their food.
Even though it was autumn and they were all dressed warmly, Chen Cheng could still clearly feel the shape of Chen Shuting’s chest pressing against her. This girl was on the chubbier side, but most of her weight seemed to have gone to her chest. If their class held a competition, she’d probably win biggest bust without a doubt.
As for Hu Wei... thank goodness she was wearing thick autumn clothes, or she would have been poked by her bones, her chest was flatter than an iron plate.
Honestly, if Chen Cheng had turned into someone with a petite, flat-chested figure like Hu Wei, she’d probably have an easier time accepting it. She wouldn’t even need to wear a bra. The only real difference between her and a guy would be going to the toilet and periods.
By now, she had mostly adjusted to hanging out with girls. At first, things like holding hands or linking arms made her uncomfortable, but now, it felt natural.
"Chengcheng~ what university do you want to go to?" Hu Wei asked curiously.
"Uh… depends on my grades, I guess?"
Chen Shuting chimed in immediately. "Then what major are you thinking about?"
"Uh… Computer Science?" Chen Cheng frowned. She hated being asked about the future when she had no clear vision of it. It just made her anxious. "I don’t know…"
"Yeah… I don’t know either." Chen Shuting sighed in frustration. "My family wants me to get a government job after graduation. They say it’s more stable for women. But do they think it’s that easy to get in?"
If Chen Cheng remembered correctly, this girl ended up working in a gaming company for a few years before getting married about eight or nine years later. She then became a full-time housewife, spending her days posting food and travel pictures on social media. Her life seemed pretty good.
Back then, as Chen Cheng scrolled through her posts, she would look at the mature, sophisticated version of Chen Shuting and then at herself, still a student, still unsure of her future. It always made her feel lost, like she had been left behind by her peers.
Hu Wei looked even more troubled. "You’re lucky. My parents don’t even have an opinion. My grades aren’t great, and if I don’t get into a good university, they might just want me to get married early…"
"That early? People still think you’re in middle school!"
"I’m 18, okay? You should call me big sister!"
Chen Cheng realized that, unlike her past life where she never interacted with Hu Wei, she actually knew nothing about her. She looked small and young, but it turned out she was actually one of the older students in class?
It seemed like everyone was the same, not just her. Everyone was uncertain about their future.
When they arrived at the school gate, the delivery guy had already been waiting for a while. Hu Wei bounced forward to grab their food, paid for it, and led her two friends to sit on the grassy field of the schoolyard.
The three of them sat cross-legged in a small circle. Hu Wei eagerly tore open the delivery bag.
"Grilled chicken burger and warm milk for you, Chengcheng!"
"What about my fried chicken drumstick?"
"You're on your period, and you still want fried chicken? Let me help you eat it!"
Chen Cheng quickly snatched back her drumstick. "I’ll suffer through the pain myself! No need for your help!"
She wasn’t particularly excited about eating, but she still had strong food-guarding instincts.
"Chengcheng, what about you and An Yuan after the college entrance exams? Won’t you be going to different universities?"
Munching on her burger, Hu Wei brought up the topic with a nosy grin.
"After the exams… he said he’d apply to the same school as me."
"Whoa! Is this love?! He’s willing to choose his university based on you? Won’t his parents break his legs for that?"
"What love? It’s just brotherhood!" Chen Cheng wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Besides, his grades aren’t that great…"
"They were fine before he started dating you~"
Excuse me?! His grades only dropped because of the whole time-traveling situation! What does that have to do with me?!
Chen Shuting’s face suddenly flushed with excitement. She leaned in close and whispered in Chen Cheng’s ear, "Hey, have you two… done anything?"
"Huh? Of course not!"
"Seriously? Is he even a man? Our little Chengcheng is so pretty, and he hasn’t made a move?!"
Chen Cheng pushed her back. "Can you be normal?! We’re not dating! How many times do I have to say it?!"
"Oh, come on~ Just spill a little!" As soon as she pushed one away, Hu Wei leaned in with a mischievous grin, her voice barely above a whisper. "An Yuan is so handsome. You’re telling me you’ve never thought about it? Never kissed? Never done anything… weird?"
Hu Wei looked tiny and innocent, like a little kid, but right now, her eyes were sparkling with excitement, her cheeks flushed, and her smile was both creepy and adorable.
Why is she such a pervert?! She totally doesn’t look like one!
Chen Cheng leaned back, shaking her head furiously. "No kissing! Nothing!"
"Wait, so your entire relationship is just going to school together, walking home, and hugging? Are you in middle school?!" Hu Wei widened her eyes in disbelief.
"Exactly, exactly!" Chen Shuting chimed in, teasing, "An Yuan is so good-looking, and you don’t even want to… eat him up?"
Eat… him?
Well… now that she thought about it, she had once imagined literally taking a bite out of him.
And hugging was… technically true…
Chen Cheng’s face turned bright red. She could joke around with guys, make dirty jokes, and even send suggestive memes. But when talking about this kind of thing with girls, she felt unbearably shy.
"No way! Nothing happened! You two are perverts!"
Chen Shuting clutched her chest dramatically. "I can’t believe our little Chengcheng is this pure! As a certified pervert, I suddenly feel ashamed… Boohoo~"
"Then let’s turn Chengcheng into a pervert too!" Hu Wei grinned devilishly.
…Wait a minute.
Isn’t it possible that I was already a pervert to begin with?